Frans Weisglas (VVD) critical of formation: ‘I’m starting to get tired of it’

#Frans #Weisglas #VVD #critical #formation #starting #tired
News & Politics•May 7 ’24 12:23Author: BNR Web Editorial

A ‘finished’ document should be available next week, but yesterday morning a small part of it ended up on the street, because PVV MP Gidi Markuszower was photographed with a clearly visible page under his arm. The formation talks have been in full swing again since yesterday. Former Speaker of the House and VVD prominent Frans Weisglas is very concerned about the formation. ‘Something that should be abnormal, namely cooperation with the PVV, is being normalised.’

Frans Weisglas (VVD) critical of formation: ‘I’m starting to get tired of it’

10 min 22 sec

Wilders yesterday called it ‘clumsy, but absolutely accidental’ that Markuszower was photographed with the document, but Frans Weisgla does not believe that. ‘He’s parading there with his paper under his arm. He is very proud that he has that under his arm, and knows very well that there are photographers around him. It is yet another childishness and attempt to improve your own position in such a way that this entire formation is already going on. I must say, I’m starting to get sick of it.’

Agree?

Wilders said yesterday that negotiators are ‘on track’ on ‘parts’, and that it was a ‘good day’. Will the parties really reach an agreement? Weisglas: ‘I don’t know.’ But he is ‘still not happy’ with the ‘prominent cooperation with the PVV. Something that should be abnormal, namely cooperation with the PVV, is being normalized. People act as if it is a normal formation, and that also applies to the VVD and Mrs Yeşilgöz.’

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Weisglas is afraid that the formation will result in a ‘normal four-party cabinet with the PVV’ instead of a ‘real’ extra-parliamentary cabinet. ‘I hope I’m wrong, but it now seems as if they are forming an ordinary majority cabinet. And if that is the case, as a VVD member I am very concerned about it.’ He thinks that in that case VVD leader Dilan Yeşilgöz will face many critics within the VVD. Weisglas: ‘And I’m one of them too.’

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However, Weisgla believes that the forming parties should not throw in the towel now. “I don’t think they should have started, but they shouldn’t stop now.”

Membership

Despite his concerns, Weisglas does not intend to cancel his VVD membership. ‘I need to think about it. My starting position is that I am and will remain a member of the VVD.’ He says he would rather stay in the VVD to remain critical together with a number of others and to keep people on their toes. ‘Because if we all walk away: Eric van der Burg, Christianne van der Wal, Ed Nijpels and I, then you give completely free rein to the other forces within the VVD. But I worry about the division and the direction.”

A ‘finished’ document should be available next week, but yesterday morning a small part of it ended up on the street, because PVV MP Gidi Markuszower was photographed with a clearly visible page under his arm. (ANP / ANP)